Creating video that makes the cut

Creating video that makes the cut

In 1979, video stood accused of killing the radio star and more than 35 years later, it continues its reign. If a picture paints 1,000 words, video is a quick and punchy way to create an impact but it’s important to get it right. We’ve pulled together our top tips to ensure that your video won’t go straight to the cutting room floor.

There is no doubt that the proliferation of the internet has made video more accessible than ever before. Indeed, OFCOM data shows that around one in four children aged 3-4 years looked at audio visual content online at least once a week in 2013. This figure stood at 68% amongst 12-15 year olds and points to the continued importance of video in the online lives of Britons of all ages. In addition, the number of hours that people watch on YouTube each month has grown by 50% year on year, according to YouTube’s own statistics. And, with the equivalent of 5 hours of new video being uploaded to YouTube every single second, the need to stand out from the crowd has never been greater.

Know your audience – The age profile of YouTubers is significantly younger than those for other social networking sites. Research conducted for our forthcoming Brand Humanisation White Paper shows that of those who interacted with a brand on YouTube in 2014, more than half (52%) were under the age of 35.

Keep it short – Having grown up in a multimedia society, video’s younger audience typically prefer to digest information in short bite-sized chunks: The top 10 most-viewed YouTube clips in 2014 were on average less than 4 minutes in length.

Language is no barrier – testament to the global nature of the internet, the most popular videos of 2014 either didn’t need language (Chica the Dogspider) or drew from a globally familiar format such as Britain’s Got Talent, or the Voice to touch the hearts of people around the world.

Press play. Rewind. Repeat – never underestimate the value of repetition. YouTube is increasingly used to entertain children (who enjoy repetition and therefore view videos more than once). We believe this to be a key reason that the UK’s top 10 YouTube clips of 2014 included two videos from Disney’s 2014 hit movie, Frozen.

Keep it light – Our consumer research which found that funny content is likely to have the greatest impact on adults watching video online (42% vs 22% average).

Show vulnerability – Whoever your target market, content that is thought-provoking and inspirational, has greater resonance. Our blog piece emotion + reaction = shareability talked about how people share content as part of a social bonding process and motivational content is powerful.